Fair Trade Cooperatives and Women's Empowerment: Impacts for US Policy on Food Security and HIV

Can small cooperatives designed for women’s employment and
empowerment in three Southern African countries inform US policy toward
food security and HIV/AIDS? Although the scale and scope of
cooperatives with fewer than 5,000 households seems a paltry site of
evidence for major US policy initiatives, in-depth analysis of the
micro level can provide important insights into macro-level policy,
much as was true of the World Bank’s shift to supporting micro loans.
Using a month-long participant observation, structured interviews with
20 respondents, and a focus group at one producer organization, we find
organized, small fair-trade activity has strong impact upon women’s
sense of empowerment, ability to feed their households, and orientation
to HIV and health generally. This depth analysis is supplemented with
profiles of two additional small producer organizations, developed
through site visits, and interviews with key informants. Evidence
suggests participation in organized (fair) trading activity contributes
to efficacy, which is reflected in household gender power dynamics, as
well as community status. Further, even a small increase in income
shapes how often and how well these families eat, which has direct
bearing on the success of HIV treatment. We conclude US policy should
strengthen support for such activity in its HIV and food security
policies and explicitly attend to the link between such micro-level
income and women’s empowerment efforts.